title: Validation of the Italian Voice Handicap Index-10.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Time consuming is an important aspect in assessing dysphonic patients. So, the English version of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-30), a self-administered questionnaire consisting of 30 items used to evaluate patients' self-perception of voice problems, was reduced to 10 items (VHI-10) for clinical purposes. In 2010, an Italian version of VHI-30 was validated, now the aims of this study were to analyze the psychometric properties of an Italian version of VHI-10 and to evaluate its validity in a cohort of patients affected by organic or functional dysphonia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Italian version of the VHI-30 was submitted to 372 dysphonic participants and 120 healthy control subjects and was conducted again 2 weeks later. The 10 items constituting the VHI-10 were extracted from the VHI-30. For 73 dysphonic patients, the questionnaire was also administered after treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The scores of the control group were significantly lower with respect to all diagnostic subgroups (P<0.001). The Cronbach's α, test-retest, and Pearson's correlation index demonstrated high reliability and validity of the Italian VHI-10. The ratio of the VHI-10 and VHI-30 scores was higher than 0.333 in all subgroups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated that the Italian VHI-10 is a robust tool that can adequately represent and replace the VHI-30. The reported results support the use of the VHI-10 for the Italian population in clinical settings owing to its validity and rapid and simple use.
authors.affiliation: Audiology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: stella.forti@policlinico.mi.it.
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Forti
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amico
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zambarbieri
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Annaclara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ciabatta
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Assi
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health-University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pignataro
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cantarella
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D014833:Voice Quality; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dysphonia; Italian version; Quality of life; Validation; Voice Handicap Index-10